“I was raised to always support Black businesses by my parents,” said Jamilah. “This passion was reignited last year with the #NotOneDime campaign to boycott Black Friday purchases in protest of the grand jury decision not to press criminal charges against Darren Wilson for the shooting to death of Michael Brown in Ferguson.”

According to a The State of the African American Consumer report together with Nielsen, Black buying power is expected to exceed the $1.1 trillion mark this year, making them 16th largest in the country.

Their buying power is expected to increase to $1.7 million by 2017

Most of the restaurants are located in Harlem and around Brooklyn and they will offer $35 three-course dinners on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Some of the eateries are new venues founded as recently as 2014.

Jamilah has been promoting black-owned businesses throughout different cities and this summer launched a list for readers in New York, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta garnering over 300,000 readers in just a few months.

She plans on hosting Black-Owned Restaurant Month twice a year, during the fall and winter.